Sunday, August 13, 2006

Android clones, not biological

There is SO much hot debate over "to clone, or not to clone" these days, that it makes one wonder if perhaps there is a better choice?! Sure! Create an android (or 2, or 40) that look just like you! In fact, that solution is even better than cloning. With a clone, you have a separate, living individual, who will have their own rights, their own free will, their own interests (mostly), leaving you without control! Where's the good in THAT? With a small army of robots at your command you CAN get more done, you DO have full control of their actions, because underneath that fleshy looking skin they are really just machines... you own them, just the same as you own your TV.

Think it's purely sci-fi? Something so far off it'll never happen in your lifetime?

Hiroshi Ishiguro, college professor and lead roboticist at ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories has "cloned" himself! Now he spends many more days at home while his clone is off in front of the classroom teaching his students. Well, okay... it's not a biological clone, it's an android clone, but, an almost identical likeness in any case, even speaking in Hiroshi's own voice. I wonder what life will be like when many more of us have an android or two that are helping with our daily activities -- doing the laundry, cooking the meals, taking care of the yard, the house, fixing our car, and on and on....

What about becoming (or acting as) a body replacement for the disabled?
Perhaps someone without arms and/or legs could wear a pair of goggles and headphones that receive audio and video input from their android who is walking about doing the daily tasks, speaking with their voice sent through a microphone. Hiroshi's android is currently teaching classes for him, so why not have yours do work for you too? But why stop at one?

Once these androids gain a bit more intelligence, and self-learning, and/or social learning (GREAT video) then perhaps they will start to do more on their own, and instantly be able to pass on knowledge to other androids.... speeding up the learning process even more. Androids would not forget a conversation, a face, and even have full access to the internet's wealth of information, which all androids could draw from... and add to. If you want to know about something, punch it in to Google.com. You can learn about it. Why wouldn't the androids take advantage of the same... absorbing the information much faster.

Yes, it won't be too many more years and we'll be knee deep in our new mechanical slaves.... that look and act just like us, or our neighbors, or your favorite celebrity.

There is SOO much more out there! Guess I'll have to post more tomorrow!!


3 Comments:

Blogger Keith said...

It's an interesting idea and could work for classrooms and such but I'm not sure the public is ready for "Terminators" running around their homes and cleaning up after them... Tho I wouldn't mind having one around when people get out of hand at parties... hehe

Sunday, August 20, 2006 7:10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where can I get my own android clone of Paris Hilton?

Monday, August 21, 2006 12:26:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Excellent insight into the current world of cloning and androidism. great stuff. Darrell

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 3:32:00 PM  

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